Supply Chain Innovation

Fruit of the Loom

Russell Brands/Fruit of the Loom. Russell Athletic, Fruit of the Loom and Vanity Fair Brands products. Russell Brands' compliance program is accredited by FLA.

From the Russell Brands/Fruit of the Loom website: In 2002, our Russell Brands, LLC subsidiary furthered its commitment to supply chain accountability by becoming an FLA affiliated company, subject to all FLA compliance criteria including annual unannounced assessments at manufacturing facilities. Russell Brands' labor compliance program has been accredited as being in substantial compliance with the FLA's Workplace Code of Conduct.

Twenty-one major U.S., Canadian, European, and Hong Kong brands joined to call on Cambodia's prime minister to respond to concerns raised through multiple channels with government leaders.
In a May 2, 2019 letter the companies expressed their growing concern regarding the labor and human rights situation in Cambodia, which threatens trade preferences for Cambodia. The European Union’s February 11 decision to review Cambodia’s Everything But Arms benefits, and recently introduced legislation in the U.S. Congress to review Cambodia’s Generalized System of Preferences...

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – October 22, 2018 – Today, 123 apparel and footwear companies signed the new “AAFA/FLA Apparel & Footwear Industry Commitment to Responsible Recruitment,” reflecting the industry’s commitment to the fair treatment of workers in the global apparel, footwear, and travel goods supply chain.
Developed in conjunction with the American Apparel & Footwear Association and the Fair Labor Association, the Commitment is a proactive industry effort to address potential forced labor risks for migrant workers in the global supply chain. Each...

On December 14, 2016, the Fair Labor Association (FLA) received a Third Party Complaint from the Sindicato de la Industria Textil Salvadoreña (SITS) alleging violations of the FLA Workplace Code of Conduct at the factory Westtex Apparel, S.A. de C.V. in El Salvador. The investigation of this complaint confirmed allegations of abusive behavior by supervisors, which were remedied by the factory. The assessment did not confirm noncompliances with respect to insufficient time for workers to eat their mid-day meal and excessively high production quotas. With respect to the freedom of association of the dismissed worker, a concurrent inspection by the El Salvador Ministry of Labor was inconclusive as to whether the dismissal followed national law. The claim was subsequently mooted when the worker signed a document stating that he voluntarily resigned.

On March 2, 2015, the Federation of Dominican Free Trade Zone, Diverse Industries, and Services Workers (Federación Dominicana de Trabajadores de Zonas Francas, Industrias Diversas y de Servicios, FEDOTRAZONAS) in the Dominican Republic filed a Third Party Complaint with the Fair Labor Association (FLA) alleging violations of freedom of association by JoeAnne Dominicana against the local union United Workers Union (Sindicato de Trabajadores Unidos), affiliated to FEDOTRAZONAS.

On April 3, 2013, FLA commissioned Comisión para la Verificación de Códigos de Conducta (COVERCO) to investigate allegations by the labor union federation “Federación Dominicana de Trabajadores de Zonas Francas, Industrias Diversas y de Servicios” (FEDOTRAZONAS) that workers' freedom of association had been violated at the factory JoeAnne Dominicana in the Dominican Republic.

On March 25, 2011, FLA received a Third Party Complaint from representatives of the Sindicato de la Industria Textil y Actividades Conexas y Similares alleging violations of local labor standards and of the FLA Workplace Code of Conduct, in particular with respect to Freedom of Association and Harassment or Abuse. FLA-affiliated companies Russell Brands, LLC (“Russell Brands”), a Participating Company, and M.J. Soffe, a Category B Licensee, source from Apple Tree, and have worked with the factory on a remediation plan. FLA published a final report on the complaint on July 31, 2012.

Russell is a branded athletic and sporting goods company with a history of over a century in marketing athletic uniforms, apparel and equipment for a variety of sports and fitness activities. Founded in 1902 in Alexander City, Alabama, Russell became a publicly-traded company in 1963; in 2006, it was acquired by Fruit of the Loom, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary with the two companies consolidating their operations. Russell’s headquarters are located in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Click the link below to download an analysis of Russell's compliance program as of February 2011.